Consequences
by Danielle Salvatore
Summary: AU twist to Midnight: Bonnie never tried to escape the room Damon left her in, and it effected her health in a bad way. Damon wants to make it up to her. But during the time he spends with her, new realizations come to his attention. Bamon one-shot


Consequences

**A/N: Another one shot I got the idea for while day dreaming in school. Hope you like it :)**

**Takes place after Damon left Bonnie in the room in the Dark Dimension inn. A AU twist to Midnight, so MAJOR spoilers if you haven't read it. And you will probably be confused if you haven't.**

Bonnie felt sick…again.

Forcing her slightly shaking form to get off of the floor, she walked quickly over to the far corner of the room, vomiting for the 2nd time that day.

It had been two weeks since Damon had left her here.

He had sent the inn keeper a letter, claiming that he would need to extend the time that Bonnie was to stay there.

And since she wouldn't dare face the risks that came from trying to escape the room, there was nothing that she could do about it.

Bonnie wiped off her mouth, and then walked back over to her sleeping area of the room and curled up into a ball.

The owner of the inn knew she'd been sick lately. The first time it happened, two days ago, the inn keeper had seen her vomit when she had brought food for her.

Bonnie had been a little frightened about how she would react to it, if she would get in trouble, but the lady had simply wrinkled her nose at the sight and smell, and left her alone, murmuring something about Damon having to pay for the damage if there were any stains.

Bonnie pushed the thoughts aside. Not only had she not been able to get enough sleep, but she hadn't eaten much either. Her whole body ached, and she felt sick all of the time. But she wasn't sure if it was something about the low quality of the food she was given, the small amounts of food, the room, or something else.

She closed her eyes, willing herself to somehow fall asleep, when she heard it: Damon's voice….finally.

"I've come to collect her."

His voice was its normal flat, and cold tone, but he was here….to take her out of here.

"She's in the same room you left her in", she heard the inn keeper answer.

Bonnie could now hear their footsteps, coming closer and closer to the room.

And when she heard the jingle of keys, she quickly sat up from where she lay on the floor, trying to make herself look better then how she felt.

The door opened, and soon, standing in front of her, was Damon.

He looked just the same as she last saw him, except now he wore a vest that made him look a bit like a knight from the Renaissance.

And that predator aura that she always felt around him was back.

He was a vampire again.

"You did it", she said, smiling weakly at him.

But he didn't seem to be paying any attention to what she was saying. Instead, he just silently stared at her, an icy expression beginning to cross his face.

"Damon?" She asked nervously, hoping to break his transfixed concentration on her.

It seemed to work.

Damon shook himself out of his stupor, and addressed her, though the icy expression never went away.

"Who did this to you?"

Bonnie's eyes widened. "Who did what?"

"You know what I mean Redbird", he snapped a bit impatiently, and gestured up and down her body. "Why are you like this?"

Bonnie looked down. "I…I don't…."

But she never got to finish her sentence, because Damon suddenly left the doorway.

"Damon!" Bonnie called frantically, running after him the best she could with her wobbly legs. There was no telling what he would do when he was in this mood.

She followed him out into the filthy hallway, and found him cornering the inn keeper, who looked like she was pleading with him.

"I did exactly as you requested! I fed her every day, twice because that was all I could manage, and took her to the bathroom three times a day. Other than that, I left her alone, just as you asked."

Despite the woman's pleads, Damon's steely glare didn't waver.

"And yet I come back and she looks half dead", he said coldly.

From the way his body shook slightly, Bonnie could tell he was holding onto the last inch of control he had.

But the woman wasn't giving up, and she slowly stood up from the floor, her chin out defiantly, though Bonnie could still see the obvious fear in her eyes.

"If she was so important to you, why would you leave her in a place like this?" She took a moment to gesture around the building. "I'm not blind, I know how low-quality this place is. If your little slave was so precious to you, why leave her here, and for two weeks no less?"

To Bonnie's surprise, Damon's dark eyes softened at her words, as if he was actually taking them to heart.

But in a flash, his eyes became ice cold once again, and a low growl escaped his lips.

Bonnie could see that there was a good chance that he could be getting ready to strike.

"Damon!" She exclaimed, finally making herself known.

Both Damon and the inn keeper turned towards her, and she could see the tense muscles on Damon relax a little.

Bonnie rushed to his side, and took one of his hands into both of her small ones, pleading with him.

"Damon, please just…leave her alone. I don't want you to…."

Before she could finish, she felt the small amount of strength she had leave her, and collapsed.

Luckily, she felt Damon catch her before she could hit the ground, and he picked her up, cradling her.

"Please Damon", she whispered, hoping he could just assume what she wanted.

He did.

Damon had taken her out of the inn. Before she had eventually passed out, she heard him say to the inn keeper that she was lucky that "his human" wanted him to spare her, but that he wouldn't pay her for her "half-assed service."

The woman had been too afraid to argue with him.

* * *

><p>When Bonnie woke up, she found herself in a warm, comfortable bed, and a familiar face was leaning over her.<p>

Lady Ulma. Damon must have brought her to her manor.

She smiled kindly at her.

"Are you feeling better dear?"

Surprisingly, she DID feel better. Her stomach no longer hurt, and she didn't have that pounding headache that she had been starting to get used to.

Bonnie nodded. "I do…actually."

Lady Ulma nodded back. "I gave you some of the herbs my maid Claudia suggested. I hoped it would work."

"It did. Thank you", Bonnie replied gratefully.

Lady Ulma smiled softly. "Master Damon will be happy to hear that. He was quite worried about you."

"He was?" Bonnie asked in surprise.

"Yes. He came here earlier this morning carrying you, and asked if I could do anything to help you, sounding quite distressed."

She paused for a moment. "He has stayed here in the house all day to get updates on your condition. Even came in here a few times to get a look of you himself."

Despite knowing that there could easily be a possibility that Damon had an ulterior motive for caring so much, Bonnie felt warmth in her heart at how concerned he seemed to be for her.

Bonnie smiled a little at the thought.

And then her stomach rumbled.

Because of the sickness, it had been a while since she had eaten.

"May I have something to eat please? I'm really hungry", she asked.

Lady Ulma nodded. "Of course dear. You'll probably want a nice, refreshing bath as well. Would you like me to call up someone to help you freshen up?"

"Yes please. That would be wonderful."

It would be nice to finally brush her teeth and wash her hair. It seemed like forever since she had felt clean.

* * *

><p>Damon was waiting downstairs.<p>

He was waiting for more updates on Bonnie…if she was making any steps in recover.

Once again, the image of his little redbird, so skinny that some of her bones had been showing, and her skin as pale as a ghost flashed through his mind, and he tried to force it away.

To say he was angry was an understatement. He was furious. Both at that incompetent inn keeper…and at himself.

"Master Damon?"

He turned towards Lady Ulma at the sound of her voice.

"How is she?"

The woman had a small smile on her face. "She's awake."

Damon made a move to go past her and upstairs, but the small woman held up a hand to stop him.

"You can't see her right now."

"Why not?" There was a hint of annoyance and impatience in the tone of his words.

"She's freshening up. And if my assumption about her is correct, she wouldn't want you to see her until she is decent."

Damon was about to ignore her and just go upstairs to see Bonnie anyway, but his conscience stopped him.

If Bonnie didn't want to see him right now, he would respect her wishes. It really was the least he could do.

"My maid, Claudia, cared for her earlier today", Lady Ulma said softly, "She says that she thinks the cause of Bonnie's illness was contamination in the food she's been eating."

Damon froze. "Contamination?"

Had that inn keeper been poisoning his little bird?

Lady Ulma nodded. "Yes. It can't be determined whether or not it was done on purpose, but nevertheless, whoever was providing her with food was at least careless at the least."

Damon growled lowly. "It was that incompetent inn keeper."

Once again, he was angered at the fact that Bonnie had pleaded to him to let that woman live.

Lady Ulma sighed. "It was probably carelessness then. Once someone is thought to be a slave in this society, they normally never amount to much in the eyes of others."

The inn keeper's last words to him rang through his head.

"_If she was so important to you, why would you leave her in a place like this?"_

That had been one thing the babbling woman had been correct about.

He should have never left his little redbird in that horrid place.

He could have easily gone a bit further with her, and left her here in Lady Ulma's care. She would have been taken care of then.

But his blind greed for power had made him ignorant, and his little redbird had paid the price.

"And it's a good thing you came when you did", Lady Ulma continued. She looked down at the ground as she said her last few words. "I'm not sure if she would have lived had you'd come a few days later."

Everything in Damon's mind froze in its place. The image of Bonnie in the room…but as nothing but a corpse was etched into his vision.

He didn't know what he would have done if he had come to get her and found her…dead. He couldn't imagine the thought.

Without realizing it, he spoke in a thick voice.

"How long will it take for her to recover?"

"Only a couple of days, according to Claudia. And this house is open to both of you for however long you wish to stay."

Damon nodded, before wordlessly going out the door and shifting into his crow form. He needed some space…and time to think.

The image of Bonnie, pale, tired, and starving was still stuck in his mind, and he wanted to escape it, if only for a few minutes.

_I'll make it up to you Redbird. Somehow, someway, I will._

* * *

><p>Bonnie dug into the plate of food presented to her quickly, and she was relieved that she had her appetite back.<p>

Just as she was taking a bite of the potatoes, dipped in gravy, Damon came through the door, causing to make her let out a small gasp.

"Damon…you scared me."

Damon chuckled, but didn't say anything.

In their small moment of silence, Damon took the time to just look at her.

He was pleased to see that she did indeed look better. The color was back in her cheeks, and there were no longer bags under her eyes from lack of sleep.

But she still looked too skinny and weak for his liking.

Bonnie cleared her throat nervously. "So um…did you want something?"

Damon looked slightly take aback. "I only wanted to know how you were doing."

"Oh." Bonnie gave a small smile. "I'm feeling much better. The herbs that Lady Ulma gave me worked."

"Good…I'm glad."

He kept expecting her to say something against him, to say that she blamed him for what happened to her, but she still continued to smile.

In a way, he almost NEEDED her to yell or snap at him. He felt guilty enough as it was, and the fact that she didn't even seem to be angry with him only made it worse.

He always knew that his little redbird was never one to hold grudges, but he had actually expected differently this time.

Bonnie took another bite of food from her plate. "So do you know how we're going to get home?"

Damon shook himself out of his thoughts, and nodded yes. "We will be leaving as soon as you've recovered."

"But…Damon, I can leave now if you want us too."

"No. I don't have an issue with staying here a little longer. And I don't want to leave until you're completely ready."

_Or until I am_, he thought to himself.

He knew that he wouldn't be ready to leave until he was 100% sure that she would be okay.

Bonnie seemed a bit surprised at his response. "Well…thank you."

She smiled at him again, and he only nodded his head.

He muttered one last "Glad you're feeling better", before leaving the room.

* * *

><p>The second night they had stayed in Lady Ulma's manor, Bonnie had a nightmare.<p>

She dreamed that she was back in that room at the inn…alone.

But this time, it was Shinchi that was supposedly the inn keeper, and she was on the floor, with that same aching feeling in both her stomach and her head.

Shinchi was laughing, and he gave her a sinister smile as he shut the door, engulfing her in eternal darkness.

Suddenly, she woke up, sitting upright in her bed, gasping and tears streaming down her cheeks.

She hadn't thought she had made that much noise as she tried to calm herself down, but obviously had made enough noise to pick up a vampire's interest.

As if on cue, the door swung open, and there stood Damon, obviously alert, and looking like he hadn't had an inch of sleep.

"Damon?" Bonnie asked drowsily, hoping her voice wasn't still shaken up from the dream she just had.

He frowned, his dark eyes looking like they were assessing her.

"Redbird, what is it?"

Bonnie shook her head. "It's nothing Damon."

But when he stubbornly didn't move, she let out a quiet sigh.

"I…I had a nightmare. But I'm okay now."

She didn't like looking like a child in front of him, and she hoped her voice was convincing enough to get him to believe her.

But instead, he took her by surprise by sliding into the bed with her.

"Wh…what are you doing?"

Even in the darkness of the room, she could sense him rolling his eyes.

"Go back to sleep Bonnie."

_He never calls me Bonnie_, she thought, as his arms circled around her protectively, holding her against his chest.

With her nervousness, Bonnie thought for sure that she would never be able to fall asleep easily with Damon in bed with her.

But she actually felt safe and comfortable in his arms, and she could easily see herself falling asleep in them.

She snuggled into him, and put her lips to his neck, kissing him there.

"Thank you."

He kissed the top of her head.

"Go to sleep."

She nodded, and made herself comfortable, feeling safe and secure as she fell back into a non-nightmare sleep.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Bonnie woke up with Damon's arms still around her.<p>

Carefully, she turned around in his arms to face him…only to see that he was awake, his obsidian eyes staring into her doe brown ones.

She smiled. "Morning."

He kissed the tip of her nose. "Good morning Redbird."

Bonnie's cheeks flushed scarlet, and he let out a chuckle.

She frowned. It was an abnormal reaction from him. She knew he had seen her blush multiple times in the past (since he was the main cause of it) and it had never made him this lighthearted before.

Damon slowly let go of her and got out of the bed.

"Are you hungry?"

Bonnie nodded, and he gestured at the door.

"I'll go get you something. I'll be right back."

With that, he headed out the door, leaving her to her thoughts.

She wanted to know why Damon was suddenly being so warm towards her, when just a few weeks ago, he'd be colder than ever.

Was it because he had a new agenda about using her to somehow win Elena over? Or….

She paused in her thoughts for a moment as the realization hit her.

Damon was being warm towards her because he felt guilty about leaving her at that inn.

Bonnie forced the tears back. She didn't want to be a charity case. And she would tell Damon that as soon as he came back.

When he did come back a few minutes later, he was carrying a breakfast tray that included toast, scrambled eggs, a few slices of bacon, and a small glass of milk.

He set it on her lap. "I hope you're not…."

"Damon?" She interrupted.

His eyebrows rose, looking only a little annoyed at the interruption.

"Yes?"

She sighed. "You…you don't have to be nice to me just because you feel guilty. Just treat me how you normally do please."

He didn't say anything for a moment, but then finally sighed.

"Redbird….I'm not doing this because I feel guilty."

Bonnie shook her head stubbornly. "Yes you are. You and I both know that you wouldn't be giving me the time of day if I….if I hadn't gotten sick."

"Redbird, it's not…" He let out a frustrated sigh, as if he was having a hard time finding the right words. "I'm not doing this only because you've been ill."

He looked at her seriously now. "I admit that it's a small part of it, but I just want you to know how important you are to me."

Bonnie gaped at him in surprise, and he continued.

"I know I haven't exactly treated you the way you deserve to be treated in the past. But just know that…I care about you. A lot."

Bonnie could once again feel the threat of tears burning in her eyes, but she refused to cry. Not right now.

His eyes became suddenly cold. "It's taking everything in me to not go back to that inn and make that idiotic woman pay for mistreating you."

When she didn't say anything, he continued.

"But I know that I'm partly at fault for what happened to you. I got wrapped up in what I wanted that I didn't think about what that place would be like for you."

His eyes grew suddenly soft. "I don't know what I would have done if I'd been…too late to save you. I'm sorry."

Bonnie felt the tears coming again, but this time, she didn't stop them, and a steady flow of them ran down her cheeks.

"It's okay Damon. I….I know that you didn't want me to come with you in the first place. I shouldn't…shouldn't have tried to stop you at the portal."

Damon immediately shook his head. "No Redbird…don't put any of the blame on yourself."

At his own words, he thought bitterly back at how he had gotten the Star Ball in the first place by tricking Bonnie and basically drugging her. This had all been entirely his fault from the start.

Tears continued to float from Bonnie's eyes. "If I hadn't tried to follow you, you would have been by yourself…and wouldn't have had to worry about me."

Damon pulled her closer, holding her to him as he whispered into her ear.

"Whether you came with me or not, the point is…I failed to protect you."

"It's not your job to protect me Damon."

"But it is Redbird", he answered without thinking. "It has been since the moment I met you."

His mind briefly thought back to first day he had really met her…in the library when those wolves had planned on attacking her…a day that she didn't even remember.

He hadn't even fully understood it back then. All he knew was that he had felt an over-whelming need to save her from the horrible fate that was coming for her. And since then…saw protecting her as something he was simply meant to do.

And the fact that he had failed so badly this time was bothering him more then he thought possible.

He held her closer. "Protecting you was always a priority for me…and always will be."

Bonnie was surprised to hear that his voice sounded thick, as if he was holding back some tears of his own. "And I'm so sorry that I failed this time. It won't ever happen again."

That he was sure of as well.

Bonnie snuggled further into him, basking in the feeling of his arms around her, and reached up a little to kiss him on the side of his neck. "I forgive you."

This only made him hold her tighter, knowing he didn't deserve her forgiveness this easily, but relieved that he had it.

He planted a soft peck to her lips to show her that he appreciated it, and silently held her for a few minutes, soothingly rubbing her back.

After a few more moments, Bonnie pulled away from him, a small laugh escaping her lips.

"I should probably eat my breakfast now."

Damon nodded and pulled away from her. When he had held her last night, and just now, he could feel that some of her bones were FAR too prominent in certain places and he didn't like it…at all. She needed to eat as much as possible over the next few days.

"I'll let you eat."

With that, he slipped out of the room.

* * *

><p>Over the next couple of days, Bonnie's health was slowly approving.<p>

She was still too skinny for Damon's liking, but her bones were no longer sticking out like they had been before.

And she seemed…happier. He was glad that she seemed to have no mental scars from her experience.

Or at least, none that she let show.

It was only about three days since they had gotten there when she told him that she was ready to find a way back to Fells Church.

He had narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you sure?"

She was curled up in his lap, and they were both in the bed of the room she was staying in.

"Yes. Elena, Meredith, Matt, and Stefan are probably really worried about us. And…I feel better Damon. I really do. I'll be okay."

Damon let out a small laugh that was a strange mixture of humor and bitterness.

"They're worried about YOU Redbird. I'm sure they could care less if I made it out or not."

Bonnie frowned a bit, and looked at him. "That's not true."

"It is. But don't fret about it. I've accepted it long ago…and I haven't actually done anything to exactly earn their favors."

Bonnie was silent for a moment, and then cuddled further into him.

"You came back and saved us all from Klaus. You saved me from those trees, and then told Stefan about Matt and Meredith. And you protected me, Elena, and Meredith while we were in the Dark Dimension…and helped us get Stefan back."

"It was my fault he was put in that place", Damon countered.

"Shinchi possessed you Damon. And…you didn't have to go through the trouble of saving him. You could have just left."

Though a part of him still thought she was only being naïve, he felt a warmth flood in his dark heart at how strongly his little bird seemed to believe in him. It wasn't something that happened often. Even Elena, the person who he had once thought believed in him the most sometimes doubted him.

And here was sweet little Bonnie, defending him on claims that he deep down didn't deserve defense on.

But it felt surprisingly nice.

He offered her a soft smile and laid down, holding her to him and having the lights of the room shut off.

"We'll be leaving early in the morning if you're ready. So you should get some sleep."

Bonnie gave a small yawn in response to his words and curled herself into him like a kitten, placing her head near his neck. "Okay."

For a while, he just listened to the way her breathing eventually slowed, signaling that she had fallen asleep, and he silently held her, still feeling like he didn't need an inch of sleep.

"Damon…I love you."

Damon's head snapped up slightly, and he frowned as he looked over the sleeping girl in his arms.

She was fast asleep. She must have been…sleep talking.

But he was sure what she said was true. He had suspicions of his little bird's feelings towards him for while.

There were times when he thought he could see her eyes narrow slightly in envy whenever he and Elena interacted, or…just the way she would look at him on a daily basis.

So yes, he'd always had his suspicions. But he always tossed thoughts regarding it aside; sure that Elena was meant to be his princess of darkness.

However, ever since he had become human…he was starting to grow uncertain. It was obvious that Elena would never fully let go of his little brother.

And the past few days had made his uncertainties even stronger.

He looked down at the sleeping girl in his arms again.

Sweet little Bonnie McCullough. His little redbird. The one who believed in him unconditionally, and who had certain courage to her that only he seemed to be able to see.

Thoughts of her had swarmed his mind the past few days. And if he was being honest with himself, he hadn't thought of Elena once since he was reunited with his _poco __uccellino__rosso. _

And he felt a swell of pride at how comfortable she seemed to be able to sleep in his arms…and that he obviously chased the nightmares away.

Slowly, Damon knelled his head down slightly and planted a kiss on the top of her head, his lips lingering in her red hair as he whispered his next few words, knowing she was fast asleep and wouldn't actually hear them.

"I love you too."

And what surprised him more was that he knew he actually meant it.

Three Days later

They were back home…finally.

Bonnie sighed as she reclined in one of Mrs. Flower's armchairs.

Neither she nor Damon had said a word to anyone about what had actually happened back in the Dark Dimension.

She didn't want everyone to hate him. And she knew they would put all of the blame on him if they knew. It was what they always did.

Still…Damon managed to get a mouthful from both Stefan and Elena about his "irresponsible actions" that led to him putting her in danger. But Damon had simply rolled his eyes as he always did.

And when they couldn't get any information they had gone to her, hoping she would sell him out.

But she hadn't. And said that Damon had her stay as Lady Ulma's house the whole time he was gone on his quest to become a vampire again.

She could tell that Elena was suspicious though. Bonnie knew that her friend was onto her in terms of her feelings towards Damon…and that she would do anything to help cover him.

But that all happened two days ago. And the drama that had stirred from her and Damon's journey back into the Dark Dimension had cooled down.

Now everyone was focused on defeating Shinchi.

Misao was dead. The star ball Damon had used to get into the Dark Dimension had been hers, and its destruction drained her, and eventually killed her. So there was only one they had to worry about now.

But that also meant that Shinchi was angrier than ever.

Damon and Stefan were in the other room with Mrs. Flowers, working on some secret plan to take Shinchi down, and she, Elena, Meredith, and Matt all sat in the den, waiting for any new information.

"I still don't see why we aren't in there", Elena said impatiently through gritted teeth as she paced back and forth. But Bonnie could tell that she seemed to be trying to keep most of her pacing close to the door, as if she was trying to hear as much of what was going on in there as possible.

"They'll tell us eventually", Meredith pointed out calmly. "Be patient Elena."

As if on cue, the door swung open, and in walked Damon and Stefan, neither of them betraying any emotion on their features.

Elena's eyebrows rose. "Well?"

Stefan opened his mouth to answer her, but Damon simply waved her off. "It's none of your concern."

Elena shot him an icy glare, but didn't say anything.

Surprisingly, they had been doing that a lot lately. Ever since he had gotten back from the dimension, Damon hadn't made one single attempt to seduce Elena…which was extremely out of character. In fact, the two had barely interacted at all, and when they did, it was mainly arguments.

And though Bonnie didn't know why they were acting like this, when just a few weeks ago, they had been all over each other, she couldn't help but feel selfishly relieved.

Watching them acting flirtariously towards each other bothered her more then she let on.

Seeing as she wasn't getting any help from Damon, Elena looked towards Stefan for help, but he simply shook his head.

"I'm sorry love. But for now, it would be better if none of you knew."

Elena looked down at the floor in frustration. "This is as much as our fight as it is yours."

Stefan nodded. "Of course it is. But…It's complicated. Just trust me on this okay? We're trying to keep all of you safe."

And that was the end of that.

* * *

><p>That night, Bonnie was having trouble sleeping again.<p>

She actually hadn't had a nightmare since she and Damon had gotten back from the dimension. But after all of this talk about Shinchi, they were coming back.

She thought about going to Elena or Meredith, but decided she didn't want to bother them.

And there was always…Damon.

The thought of going to him made her both excited and nervous. But she figured he was busy as well, mentally planning out whatever plan he and Stefan had for taking down Shinchi.

_Maybe if I get some water, it'll help calm me down_, she thought, as she slowly got out of bed, and made her way downstairs.

She had reached the kitchen, and was currently on her way back to her bedroom when she heard it.

"What are you doing up at this time of night?"

The voice came out of nowhere, and made her jump into the air, a small panicked yelp making its way through her lips.

Whoever the voice belonged to chuckled.

Bonnie eventually turned and saw Damon standing on the steps of the stairs.

"Damon…you scared me."

He let out another low chuckle. "I figured that." He stepped off of the stairs, so that he was standing in front of her. "Sweet redbird…skittish as a kitten."

It was then Bonnie noticed that he was…shirtless.

_Gorgeous_, she thought wildly, trying hard not to stare at his beautifully sculpted body.

Bonnie breathed again, trying to calm herself down after the shock, and the fact that Damon Salvatore was currently standing in front of her in only a black pair of sweat pants. "Don't do that again."

He didn't say anything to her request, and frowned slightly.

"You never answered my question. What are you doing up?"

She looked down at her feet. "I had another nightmare. I was hoping getting some water would make me feel better."

"Why didn't you come and get me?"

She looked up at him in surprise. The tone of his voice implied that he thought she was foolish for not coming to him, as if it was something she was expected to do.

She hesitated for a moment before answering.

"I didn't want to bother you."

Damon simply shook his head, and gestured at her to follow him as he went back up the stairs. "Come with me."

There was no way she was going to tell him no.

She followed him up the stairs, and her eyes widened a little when he led her to the room he was staying in.

"Damon….?"

He didn't say anything, but opened the door, holding it open for her. "After you, redbird."

"Umm…okay", Bonnie said slowly, walking into the bedroom. She was a bit nervous. Yes Damon had comforted her from nightmares in the past, but this time was a bit different. He was half naked, and they were in a bedroom that was HIS in a way. To her, it made it seem a bit more personal.

Not that she didn't like it.

After looking at him for his permission again, she climbed into his bed and under the covers, and soon, she felt him climbing in next to her after shutting out the lights, and he grabbed her, holding her to his bare chest.

After taking a moment to get used to it, Bonnie surprisingly found herself completely comfortable in this position, and she snuggled deeper into his arms.

"Thank you."

He simply nodded in response.

After a few moments though, she still couldn't make herself fall asleep. And it was because there was a small question that she couldn't push aside…

"Damon? Are you awake?"

He silently nodded.

Bonnie took a deep breath. "I just wanted to know…what were you doing up when you found me?"

He seemed to hesitate, but eventually answered.

"I heard you get up."

Bonnie smiled slightly. She wasn't expecting that answer, but it made her happy.

"You were worried about me?"

Another hesitation before an answer.

"Yes", he finally said flatly.

Bonnie's smiled widened, and she turned to plant a kiss on his blank chest.

"I love you Damon."

She hadn't even realized she said the words until it was too late, and she instantly wanted to take them back.

She never wanted to admit her feelings to Damon…because she was afraid, convinced that he would only ever want Elena.

She didn't want to see the look of pity that she was sure to get from him.

Bonnie looked up at him with a panicked expression.

"I…I…I'm sorry! It just slipped out and…"

But she never got to finish her sentence, because to her surprise, Damon suddenly pressed his lips softly against hers.

It had been too long since she had really kissed him.

Forgetting her earlier panic, Bonnie threaded her fingers through his dark raven hair, kissing him back.

The kiss was soft, but had an urgency that none of their past kisses ever had, and Damon rolled her onto her back, trapping her between the bed and his body as they continued to kiss.

And after a few minutes, he pulled away, but kept his lips only centimeters from her own, his dark obsidian eyes staring into her soft brown ones.

"I love you too, Redbird."

**The End**

**A/N: This will be the last one-shot I write before I update one of my stories…I PROMISE.**


End file.
